Multicylinder internal-combustion engine.



A. E. SALWAY.

MULTICYLINDER INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1917.

LQM QMO Patented Jan. 22,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. E. SALWAY.

MULTICYLNNDER INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY28,1917- Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

//W/E./VTO/K v91. BEE? Eon/mm) Lil/94. vm'x MULTICYLINDER INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed May 28, 1917.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWARD SAL- WAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and resident of Taibach, county of Glamorgan, Vales, have invented a certain new and usefullmprovement in and Relating-to Multicylinder Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to cfiect improvements in the construction of internal combustion engines, the desideratum being to obtain the greatest amount of power, with a minimum of weight of constructional parts, by building up an engine on tubular rods extending from the extreme ends of opposed cylinders, upon which tubular rods bearing clamps, distance pieces and cylinders are secured in their required positions by suitable devices, thus dispensing, as at present obtains, with the use of castings which make up the crank case and which form the support and base.

By adopting the improved method of construction, viz.-on tubular rods extending from the extreme ends of opposed cylinders. and by the use of plates extending the length of an engine according to the number of cylinders, there obtains a lighter and more rigid unit, in which a plurality of opposed cylinders may be used to form an engine.

or a. clear understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying sheets of drawings upon which only those parts of an engine are shown which are necessary to illustrate the invention. Of the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional side View of a horizontal engine with opposed cylinders, which may be continued in rows of any number of cylinders to constitute an engine.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of an engine constituted by two pairs of opposed cylinders.

Fig. 3 is a view of a cylinder head clamping plate for a four-pair opposed cylinder engine.

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of a horizontal engine with two sets of four pairs of opposed cylinders, the sets being arranged in parallel.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the cylinder head clamping plate thereof.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In carrying out the invention, and referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, a are the tubular Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

Serial No. 171.528.

rods which may have formed thereon as shown suitable threads at spaced intervals while the portions of the rods between these threads are of less diameter than the threaded portions to permit the nuts to slide into place, I) are bearing clamps and c are the crank shaft bearings carried by said bearing clamps which are passed over the tubular rods a and are secured thereto by means of the nuts d which as previously indicated may slide over the reduced portions of the rods to engage the threads thereon, and e is the crank shaft.

f are distance pieces or spacing sleeves slipped on to the tubularrods (1-. g are cam shaft bearing clamps or plates and Z are the length plates which carry the tappet guides m, and nare the valve tappets or ta ppet-rods thereof, as the case may be, according to valve type used, whether overhead or sideby-side, said plates g and Z being threaded on the tubular rods 0 and separated from one another by distance pieces f and locked to said tubular rods a by nuts (Z or other suitable devices, assisted by additional stays j, distance pieces it. and nuts supporting the plates 9 carrying the bearings 1 of the cam shafts i.

The cylinders 0 are, by means of holes in their bases p, threaded upon the tubular rods (1 so that said bases butt'against the length pieces Z. The cylinder head clamping plates are then threaded on the tubular rods a and secured in position on said rods (6 by means of nuts J or other suitable devices, thus forming a structure \vhose parts are properly spaced apart and rigidly secured together, the cylinder head clamping plates (7 being shaped so as to come in contact with the cylinder heads. or head, according to whether said cylinders be separate or en bloc, as shown by the numerals 3 and 4 in Fig. 3, which show two cylinders joined together at any requisite points to eflect substantial security.

By increasing the depth of the crank shaft bearing clamps b the cam shaft bearing plates 9 and the cylinder head clamping plates qas in Figs. 4 and 5there obtains a horizontal engine constituted by two sets of four pairs of oppositely disposed cylinders in parallel arrangement, and as the various parts are identical or the same as in the previous arrangement described and shown in Figs. 1 to 3, no further description is deemed necessary.

From the above description and inspection of the drawings it will be readily understood that any number of such rows may be arran ed in parallel, each row of opposed cylin ers having its separate crank shaft coupled up in any suitable manner and by any suitable'means.

By this method of construction, the parts constituting an engine are much lighter, present greater rigidity when assembled, obviate the use of crank cases as a constructional foundation, altogether affording greater power with a minimum of weight with added constructional strength.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A multi-cylinder engine construction including the combination with the cylinders, crank shaft, cam shafts and tappet rods, of a frame for supporting and maintaining said parts in assembled relation consisting of a plurality of rods having means secured to the outer ends thereof for clamping theheads of oppositely related cylinders, and means secured to the intermediate portions of certain of said rods for supporting the crank shaft, and other means located between said latter 'means and the ends of the rods for respectively supporting and guiding the said cam shaft and tappet rods.

2. A multi-cylinder engine construction including the combination with the cylinders, crank shaft, cam shafts and tappet rods, of a frame for supporting and maintaining said parts in assembled relation consisting of a plurality of continuous rods having cylinder-head clamping-plates secured to their outer ends for engaging and holding a plurality of cylinders, crank shaft bearing members secured to the intermediate portions of certain. of said rods, tappet guide-supporting plates positioned on said rods adjacent the base of the cylinders, and

cam shaft supporting and bearing elements also positioned on said rods and rigidly spaced thereon between the said tappet guide-supporting plates and crank shaft bearing members.

3. A multi-cylinder engine construction including the combination with the cylinders, crank shaft, cam shafts and tappet rods, of a frame for supporting and maintaining said parts in assembled relation consisting of a plurality of continuous rods arranged in transverse pairs and the latter being spaced longitudinally to clear the said cylinders, crank shaft bearing elements rigidly supported at the intermediate portions of said rods, tappet guide supports adjoining the base of said cylinders, cam shaft bearing members positioned on the rods, and means for rigidly spacing the said latter bearings between the tappet guide supports and. the crank shaft bearings.

4:. A multi-cylinder engine construction including in combination, a plurality of alined cylinders arranged. in opposite groups, a frame including a plurality of spaced rods, means carried by'the rods for clamping the heads and bases of the cylinders in-each group, a crank shaft common to all of the cylinders of the said groups, a cam shaft common to all of the cylinders ofeach group, and means carried by the intermediate portion of said rods for supporting the said crank and cam shafts.

In testimony whereof I have afiixe signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT EDWARD SALWAY.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM J. PERKINS, FLORENCE H. LITTLE.

d, my. 

